An interesting male hummingbird was at a feeder in Santa Cruz, central
California, last month. When discovered we called it a male Costa's but
others reviewing photos suggest a hybrid or backcross with Anna's. I
have put together a page with lots of photos of both Calypte species and
of the mystery bird, and have appended both my comments and those of
Kumaran Arul. Additional comments from anyone with expertise on this
topic are most welcome. If anything, it does suggest that molt and/or
wear in this genus may produce unexpected i.d. problems.

The page is at http://montereybay.com/creagrus/SCZhumm.html

Cheers, Don Roberson

California Birders:

The California Bird Records Committee has ACCEPTED Common
Greenshank, Tringa nebularia, to the state list on the basis
of the bird extensively documented (photo/video) near
McKinleyville, Humboldt County, August-September 2001.

The addition of this species brings the official California
List up to 619 species.

Kimball Garrett
CBRC Vice-Chairman

*****************************
Kimball L. Garrett
Ornithology Collections Manager
Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
900 Exposition Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90007 USA
(213) 763-3368
(213) 746-2999 FAX
kgarrett@...
*****************************

HI Calbirds,

As one who enjoys hummingbirds, I have also purchased both Howell's and
Williamson's recent hummingbird books mentioned in previous Calbird posts.
And I've enjoyed reading the "reviews" on Calbird about these books.

While I certainly can allow folks to have their own opinions of these books,
however harsh, Don Roberson's review of Williamson's book (Calbird, February
8, 2002) contains two factual errors that should be addressed...

Don wrote:

> I looked specifically at the Black-chinned Hummingbird map and compared
> it with what I know about Monterey County. ...

<snip>, then in same paragraph...

    The Williamson book showed
> spring migration dates right at Monterey County to be April 1. This is
> in error. Except for one anomolous mid-March record from long ago, the
> EARLIEST arrival in Monterey County has been April 2, and the typical or
> average arrival date is two weeks later -- in mid-April. In some years
> they don't arrive until late April.  So the new book is glaringly wrong,
> since small differences of just 3-5 days are shown by lines much farther
> north.

I can't find ANY contour line in the book which shows a difference of "just
3-5 days."  All apparently show arrivals at 10 day increments, as further
clarified on page 47.

<snip>

> I searched the book's intro and appendices to try to figure out where
> their dates came from. I could find no discussion at all. No where was
> it explained whether it was meant to be an average date, or the earliest
> date, or a mean date, and what sets of data were used.

The section "How to Use This Book" addresses this question.  On page 47,
under the heading "Spring Migration Maps" Williamson writes that the lines
"show average spring arrival dates in 10-day increments."  Then later in the
same paragraph she says the information was "based primarily on firsthand
reports..., with additional information from publications such as American
Birds/Field Notes."  Her next sentence warns readers that actual spring
arrival dates may vary.

I disagree with much of the rest of the review, but that is my personal
interpretation and perhaps perspective.  I will agree that Howell's book is a
fine one -- I particularly appreciate the overall layout and the larger
photos.  As a distribution aficionado, I appreciate the attempt by Williamson
to illustrate the range of every species in as much detail as possible on the
maps, rather than the "field guide brushstrokes" of Howell's maps, which are
reserved for common species only.

It is interesting how two books covering the same group of birds can turn out
so differently, but perhaps that's the appeal.  I'm glad I have both!

Best,

--Stacy
^v^...^v^...^v^...^v^...^v^...^v^...^v^...^v^...^v^...^v^
Stacy Jon Peterson
4442 Sijan St.  Apt. A
Mtn Home AFB, ID  83648
Elmore County; USDA zone 6a; Sunset zone 3
SJPeterson@...
^v^...^v^...^v^...^v^...^v^...^v^...^v^...^v^...^v^...^v^
HUMMINGBIRDS:  www.geocities.com/trochilids
^v^...^v^...^v^...^v^...^v^...^v^...^v^...^v^...^v^...^v^


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Ahhhh Spring Migration.  We go out in our backyard in South Davis and we
see and hear the Northward movement of the Sandhill Cranes.

In addition to its natural beauty and its natural rhythm, this year this
annual cycle has interesting new ramifications . . . when and where will
the Demoiselle Crane migrate?  What, if anything, is being done to
document, track and/or study this intriguing question?  I ask because in
truth I really don't know, but now that the thought has sprung into my
mind, I must admit I am extremely curious.

When the initial debate over the status of the Demoiselle raged, one of
the key unanswerable questions was, "If it is a vagrant, why wasn't the
Demoiselle seen somewhere along its migration route prior to arriving in
Woodbridge?"  I hope we won't find ourselves asking the reverse
question, "The Demoiselle is gone from Woodbridge, why wasn't it seen
somewhere along its departure migration route?"

  Any thoughts/updates?

Matt Williams
El Macero (Davis), CA

CALBIRDSers:

Kevin Gusé of Sacramento, who is not on CALBIRDS, asked me to post this message
regarding the Demoiselle Crane being seen again this past Monday February 18th
near Lodi in San Joaquin County.
--
Mike Feighner, Livermore, CA, Alameda County

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: [CVBirds] Demoiselle Crane
Date: Tue, 19 Feb 2002 08:38:18 -0800
From: Kevin Gusé <KGUSÉ@PARASEC.COM>
To: CV birds <central_valley_birds@yahoogroups.com>

Birders,

I am passing along a report that the Demoiselle Crane was refound on Monday,
February 18th.  The bird was found by Massachusetts birder Bill Drummond.
The location is along Woodbridge Road, approximately five miles from the
junction with Thornton Road (past the crane preserve).  The bird was seen in
a flooded rice field with approximately 1,000 Sandhill Cranes.  The bird was
observed just before dark at 5:55 PM.

Good luck and good birding!

Kevin Gusé
Sacramento, CA

So if 360 birders contribute $10 each, we could buy a satellite
transmitter, and then we get the CAL Fish & Game to rocket net the
Demoiselle (the difficult part), and then we watch the bird (via our
PCs) fly to Siberia (or a local zoo), the issue is settled.  Right?

I know I've spent more than $10 for a lifer before.

This is sort of tongue-in-cheek, but it would be fun to see where it
goes.  The same would have been true for the sand-plover last year.


-Steve Holzman
Sacramento,CA
--- Matt Williams <mattwilliamsjr@...> wrote:
> Ahhhh Spring Migration.  We go out in our backyard in South Davis
> and we
> see and hear the Northward movement of the Sandhill Cranes.
>
> In addition to its natural beauty and its natural rhythm, this year
> this
> annual cycle has interesting new ramifications . . . when and where
> will
> the Demoiselle Crane migrate?  What, if anything, is being done to
> document, track and/or study this intriguing question?  I ask
> because in
> truth I really don't know, but now that the thought has sprung into
> my
> mind, I must admit I am extremely curious.
>
> When the initial debate over the status of the Demoiselle raged,
> one of
> the key unanswerable questions was, "If it is a vagrant, why wasn't
> the
> Demoiselle seen somewhere along its migration route prior to
> arriving in
> Woodbridge?"  I hope we won't find ourselves asking the reverse
> question, "The Demoiselle is gone from Woodbridge, why wasn't it
> seen
> somewhere along its departure migration route?"
>
>  Any thoughts/updates?
>
> Matt Williams
> El Macero (Davis), CA
>
>


__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Sports - Coverage of the 2002 Olympic Games
http://sports.yahoo.com

Steve's point is well taken vis-a-vis the challenges radio tracking would pose. 
Nonetheless, there are some questions that pop to mind regarding visual tracking
that could be of some interest, specifically:

1)  When a "typical" flock of Sandhills takes off from Woodbridge to begin their
northward migration, do we (the birding community -- both professional and
recreational) have any ideas/facts on where that typical flock will make its
next stop(s) on its Northern route.

2)  Is there any benefit to be gained by putting the various birding communities
along the Sandhills' migration route on alert to be looking for the Demoiselle
(OBOL and Tweeters come immediately to mind)?

3)  Do we know where the breeding grounds are for the Sandhills from Woodbridge?

As Steve said in his post, at the very least, "it would be fun to see where it
goes?"

Good Birding to all.

Matt


Steve Holzman wrote:

>So if 360 birders contribute $10 each, we could buy a satellite
>transmitter, and then we get the CAL Fish & Game to rocket net the
>Demoiselle (the difficult part), and then we watch the bird (via our
>PCs) fly to Siberia (or a local zoo), the issue is settled.  Right?
>
>I know I've spent more than $10 for a lifer before.
>
>This is sort of tongue-in-cheek, but it would be fun to see where it
>goes.  The same would have been true for the sand-plover last year.
>
>
>-Steve Holzman
>Sacramento,CA
>--- Matt Williams <mattwilliamsjr@...> wrote:
>
>>Ahhhh Spring Migration.  We go out in our backyard in South Davis
>>and we
>>see and hear the Northward movement of the Sandhill Cranes.
>>
>>In addition to its natural beauty and its natural rhythm, this year
>>this
>>annual cycle has interesting new ramifications . . . when and where
>>will
>>the Demoiselle Crane migrate?  What, if anything, is being done to
>>document, track and/or study this intriguing question?  I ask
>>because in
>>truth I really don't know, but now that the thought has sprung into
>>my
>>mind, I must admit I am extremely curious.
>>
>>When the initial debate over the status of the Demoiselle raged,
>>one of
>>the key unanswerable questions was, "If it is a vagrant, why wasn't
>>the
>>Demoiselle seen somewhere along its migration route prior to
>>arriving in
>>Woodbridge?"  I hope we won't find ourselves asking the reverse
>>question, "The Demoiselle is gone from Woodbridge, why wasn't it
>>seen
>>somewhere along its departure migration route?"
>>
>> Any thoughts/updates?
>>
>>Matt Williams
>>El Macero (Davis), CA
>>
>>
>
>
>__________________________________________________
>
>




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

I don't have any details yet, but members of the Pacific Seabird Group,
which is meeting this week in Santa Barbara, reportly found a SHORT-TAILED
ALBATROSS on Tuesday, about a half mile north of Santa Barbara Island (at
least that is the preliminary, secondhand report). I'm pretty sure there are
no good, documented observations of this species in Santa Barbara County
waters since the 19th century, and I think the same is probably true about
Ventura County, or even all of Southern California.

Santa Barbara Island and environs is sort of disputed territory for birders.
The island is politically part of Santa Barbara County, although any
rational drawing of boudaries, based on mainland boundaries, would put it in
Ventura or Los Angeles County. CBRC rules would put the waters surrounding
the island in Santa Barbara County, although in his The Birds of Santa
Barbara County, Paul Lehman treats neither the island or the waters around
it.

People on the boat reportedly got photos, but again that's secondhand. I
don't know if the bird would be remotely chasable, even if a boat is going
out there (Island Packers in Ventura might be the best bet for this). In any
case, it's an encouraging report for those of us who dream that some day
this species will again be a regular sight off our coast.

Dave Compton
Santa Barbara


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Hi All,

I am planning a sprint run up from LA to try for the Common Redpoll leaving
late Friday night to be on sight in Anderson Saturday 1st light. I haven't
seen any real recent updates and would appreciate it if anyone has any
relevant info either positive or negative.

Thanks Much,

Tim Stevens
Burbank, CA.

Hi All,
   According to the Northern CA Birdbox reports the COMMON REDPOLL has NOT
been seen since Sunday 2/17.

Doug Shaw
NO CA Birdbox compiler
Santa Rosa, CA
----- Original Message -----
From: "Tim Stevens" <stevens_tim@...>
To: <calbirds@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Thursday, February 21, 2002 5:26 PM
Subject: [CALBIRDS] Common Redpoll News?


> Hi All,
>
> I am planning a sprint run up from LA to try for the Common Redpoll
leaving
> late Friday night to be on sight in Anderson Saturday 1st light. I haven't
> seen any real recent updates and would appreciate it if anyone has any
> relevant info either positive or negative.
>
> Thanks Much,
>
> Tim Stevens
> Burbank, CA.
>
>
>
> Unsubscribe: mailto:CALBIRDS-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
> Website: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CALBIRDS
> Listowners: mailto:CALBIRDS-owner@yahoogroups.com
>
> For vacation suspension of mail go to the website. Click on Edit My
Membership and set your mail option to No Email.
>
>
> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
>
>

Hi all,

I don't know which lists I will be allowed to post to, so forward this if
you'd like. I looked at photos of the bird today (digital, but fairly good)
and am convinced that it is a first year Short-tailed Albatross. I'm not sure
exactly where it was, but I understand it was very near the island, was
present for at least four hours (seen on the way to the island and on the way
back at the same spot) and near a "big red buoy". I think it was near the
north end of the island.

Ron LeValley

-----------------------------
Ron LeValley                                                                
ron@...    <== New e-mail direct to me  
Cell and messages 707/496-3326
NEW ADDRESS
1499 Central Avenue
McKinleyville, CA 95519
------------------------------
Mad River Biologists
NEW ADDRESS
mrb@...    <== OFFICE Stuff
1497 Central Avenue
McKinleyville CA 95519
*************************************************

707/839-0900
FAX 839-0867
------------------------------


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

This morning I and 3 other birders kept vigil from about 6:45am to 10:45am
for the Anderson Common Redpoll with no luck. -- Paul Keller, Goleta SBA

For anyone seriously contemplating trying to capture this bird and
radio-mark it, I'm afraid I would have to throw a wet blanket on the
idea.  I know from personal experience that it is extremely difficult to
rocket-net cranes, let alone a particular individual one.  They are very
hard to attract to bait, if there is sufficient food about.
    As far as trying to look for the bird on migration, I know 2 general
areas where large concentrations of lesser Sandhills stage in spring,
which I presume is what the Demoiselle would be migrating with.  Those
would be Ash Creek Wildlife Area in Big Valley, Lassen Co., and Malheur
NWR in Harney Co., Oregon.
Cheers,
Bruce Deuel
Red Bluff

>>> <redhead457@...> 02/21/02 06:48PM >>>
Matt, Steve, and everyone following this issue,

I liked your suggestions about tracking the dem cr when it migrates
this
spring.  I am willing to ante up my $10, the radio tracking, if this
plan can
be implemented very soon.

The idea to alert all the birding groups on the potential northward
migration
routes is excellent and needs to be done now, as we can't predict
exactly
when the demoiselle will move out.  Surely we can contact all of the
known
birding groups, Audubon chapters, ornithology professionals in the
region,
depts of wildlife, and people and groups in Canada who could be alerted
and
asked to report to us on sightings.

I'd be interested to hear what the "normal" crane migration routes are
from
Lodi to the north.  Do they follow the coast or stay inland close to
the
grain fields?  Do they have regular stopover places where they show up
every
year?

I am concerned that we will "lose" this bird and never know how he/she
got
here or what became of him or her.  I'd like to know that it survives
through
the coming year and where it spends next winter.  It would be amazing
to see
it return for more of our hospitality again, and the chances of that
are slim
to nil, I realize.

If I can help in any way, please let me know.

Linda Corey
Stockton, CA


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]


------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor

Central Valley Birds[CVBirds]messages are searchable and archived at:
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Calbirders,
I arrived at 2924 Silo in Anderson at about 3 p.m. on Weds, Feb 20 in
drizzly weather, and there were no birds at the feeder. I came back at 7
a.m. on Feb 21 and waited with some other birders until about 11 a.m.
with no sign of the bird. The owner of the house said she  didn't think
anyone had seen it since Sunday.
Good birding
Karen Peterson
Berkeley, CA

We birded the area from 9:30 am to 11:00 am for the Redpoll in Anderson
California and didn't find it.  A Merlin was
feeding in a big tree to the left of the house and two White-tailed Kites were
actively flying about.

Bob & Carol Yutzy

kabe@... wrote:

> Calbirders,
> I arrived at 2924 Silo in Anderson at about 3 p.m. on Weds, Feb 20 in
> drizzly weather, and there were no birds at the feeder. I came back at 7
> a.m. on Feb 21 and waited with some other birders until about 11 a.m.
> with no sign of the bird. The owner of the house said she  didn't think
> anyone had seen it since Sunday.
> Good birding
> Karen Peterson
> Berkeley, CA
>
>
> Unsubscribe: mailto:CALBIRDS-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
> Website: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CALBIRDS
> Listowners: mailto:CALBIRDS-owner@yahoogroups.com
>
> For vacation suspension of mail go to the website. Click on Edit My Membership
and set your mail option to No Email.
>
>
> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/

First I apologized for anyone getting this twice, but I've done a complete
make over of my web site "The Birds, Butterflies, & Dragonflies of San
Diego County"

So if you live in San Diego or your coming here- I hope that you will enjoy
this site.

http://sdbirds.basiclink.com

See ya,

Douglas Aguillard
SoCal Field Guides
DDL Photography
National City, CA.
doug@...

The Birds, Butterflies, & Dragonflies of San Diego County-
http://sdbirds.basiclink.com
Calbirds- http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Calbirds listsev
SDBirds- http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SDBirds listserv
SoWestLep- http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SoWestLep listserv
CalOdes- http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CalOdes listserv
Las Palmas Butterfly Garden- http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LPBG listserv
SoCal Field Guides- http://sdbirds.basiclink.com/socal_field_guides.htm
DDL Photography- http://www.ddl-photography.com/

- RBA

* California
* San Diego
* February 23, 2002
* CASD0202.23

- Birds mentioned

Eurasian Wigeon
Black Scoter
Zone-tailed Hawk
Vermilion Flycatcher
DUSKY-CAPPED FLYCATCHER
Swamp Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Clay-colored Sparrow
GRACE'S WARBLER
Palm Warbler

- Transcript

hotline: San Diego County, California
date:  February 23, 2002
number:  (619) 688-2473 [619-NUT-BIRD]
	 for SAN DIEGO FIELD ORNITHOLOGISTS
compiler: Michael Evans, mailto:muevans@...

For directions to many of the locations listed here,
See Thomas Brothers Map Book for San Diego County, or

	 http://www.SoCalAudubon.org/socal/sd-locs.htm

See also:  http://fog.ccsf.cc.ca.us/%7Ejmorlan/sd.htm

For archive of 2001 reports (since second half, 1999), see:
	 http://homepage.mac.com/aves/SanDiego.html
_________________________________________

EURASIAN WIGEON, 1 (M), 2/16/02, San Diego R Floodway, near Robb Field Park

BLACK SCOTER, 1 (F), 2/21/02; 2 (F), 2/22/02, San Diego Bay, J St
Marina, Chula Vista

ZONE-TAILED HAWK, 1, 2/16/02, Oak Hill Memorial Cemetery, E-Escondido

VERMILION FLYCATCHER, 1 (M), 2/17/02, 2/18/02, Lindo Lake Park,
Lakeside, NE-end lake

DUSKY-CAPPED FLYCATCHER, 1, 2/16/02, 2/18/02, 2/19/02, 2/22/02,
Greenwood Memorial Cemetery, SW-corner fence line

SWAMP SPARROW, 1, 2/18/02, Lindo Lake Park, Lakeside, NE-end lake

WHITE-THROATED SPARROW, 2 (Imm + Ad), 2/20/02, 2/22/02, Ft Rosecrans
NC [National Cemetery], E-side, along wall at eucalyptus grove

CLAY-COLORED SPARROW, 1, 2/16/02, 2/21/02, Oak Hill Memorial
[Cemetery] Park, E-Escondido

GRACE'S WARBLER, 1 (F), 2/16/02, 2/22/02, Ft Rosecrans NC, W-side,
dip area, near fence, in pines [S-Graves Registration Bldg]

PALM WARBLER, 1, 2/14/02, Paradise Park nature center, Chula Vista &
1, 2/22/02, Greenwood Memorial Cemetery, SW-corner fence line

_________________________________________

Send reports on California Bird Record Committee
Review Species sightings to:

Guy McCaskie, Secretary
California Bird Records Committee
P.O. Box 275
Imperial Beach, CA 91933-0275

mailtoguymcc@...

Send local rarity descriptions to:

Elizabeth Copper, Subregional Field Notes Editor

mailto:ecopper@...


End transcript


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

On a whale watching trip aboard the "Voyager" out of Redondo Beach on
Friday, 15 February, at approximately 11:30 hours, approximately 1 mile
west southwest of Point Vicente, I saw a Puffinus shearwater that
immediately caught my attention because its head and neck were
noticeably paler than its back. The bird was siting on the water at a
distance of approximately 30 meters on the starboard side. I ran into
the wheel house to get my camera and just as I prepared to photograph
the bird it took off, at first parallel to the course of the boat then
crosses in front of the bow and flew off in a southwesterly direction.
At this point I had no reason to believe that it was anything other than
an abnormally pigmented Black-vented Shearwater, but while I
photographed it I noticed a patch of white extending into the side of
the rump. I then switched back to my binoculars, but the bird was
already pretty far away, was somewhat backlit and flying away at an
unfavorable angle, but I clearly saw the white patch on the side of the
rump. I only ever saw the left side of the bird.

My photos show the white extending into the sides of the rump, the
difference in tone between the head/neck and back and the underwing
pattern quite well. Unfortunately there is no dorsal view, just lateral
and slightly ventral.

The illustration in Harrison seems to clearly show a darker back in
Townsend's Shearwater, but the bird I saw did not have the white chin
shown in the photo in Enticott and Tippling, the dark from the head and
neck extended to the throat.

I will scan the images in the next couple of days and I would love to
get some comments from persons with experience with this species.

Bernardo Alps
Whalephoto@...
Santa Monica, CA

Hi, all!

Since the Dusky-capped Flycatcher was still being seen at Greenwood Cemetery,
Don and Marjorie Hastings agreed to escort myself and Carol Parker over there
(that's a big place, after all), but they wanted to wait for traffic to wane,
so I poked around Sweetwater Reservoir first.  Thanks to Tony Merceica, I
found a new entrance trail just past the park entrance, so I headed up that
way in search of a Burrowing Owl he had near the dam.  Didn't find the owl
(although I definitely had the right spot), but a nice Merlin went whizzing
by, which made up for it!  Scanning the lake, I saw lots and lots of Western
Grebes (a couple even got up and danced), and at least one Clark's (probably
more, but they were way out there).  From the angle I was at I could also see
Western Gulls and Double-crested Cormorants.  My normal gawking spot was just
on the other side of the ditch, so I just decided to make a loop out of it
and went straight on, adding American Pipit where the owl was supposed to be,
and Shovelers in the lake looking from the other side of the dam.  Dragging
myself up the hill I added Say's Phoebe (and a Great Blue Heron flying past
in the distance as I was watching him) and several things in the planted
vegetation around the park, including Spotted and California Towhees,
Yellowthroat, California Thrasher, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, and Song and
White-crowned Sparrows.  Had a nice Cooper's Hawk on the wire coming down the
entrance road, and a Ruby-crowned Kinglet back at the car.

Headed over to Don and Marjorie's after that, where we relaxed and enjoyed
the garden before heading over to Greenwood.  The place was alive with Black
Phoebes and Butterbutts, but the Duskycap was frustratingly elusive.  He
finally did show up, but naturally Carol and I were at opposite ends of the
cemetery from Don and the thing took off by the time we caught up with him
(Don, that is).  I missed the Gray Flycatcher that way, too, but the
consolation prize was the Palm Warbler that jumped up on a gravestone and
wagged his tail nicely for me!  The bluebirds were pretty, too, I have to
admit...

Bird List:

   Western Grebe                         Aechmophorus occidentalis
   Clark's Grebe                         Aechmophorus clarkii
   Double-crested Cormorant              Phalacrocorax auritus
   Great Blue Heron                      Ardea herodias
   Mallard                               Anas platyrhynchos
   Northern Shoveler                     Anas clypeata
   Cooper's Hawk                         Accipiter cooperii
   Red-shouldered Hawk                   Buteo lineatus
   Red-tailed Hawk                       Buteo jamaicensis
   Merlin                                Falco columbarius
   Western Gull                          Larus occidentalis
   Rock Dove                             Columba livia
   Mourning Dove                         Zenaida macroura
   Anna's Hummingbird                    Calypte anna
   Costa's Hummingbird                   Calypte costae
   Nuttall's Woodpecker                  Picoides nuttallii
   Black Phoebe                          Sayornis nigricans
   Say's Phoebe                          Sayornis saya
   Cassin's Kingbird                     Tyrannus vociferans
   American Pipit                        Anthus rubescens
   Ruby-crowned Kinglet                  Regulus calendula
   Cedar Waxwing                         Bombycilla cedrorum
   Bewick's Wren                         Thryomanes bewickii
   Northern Mockingbird                  Mimus polyglottos
   California Thrasher                   Toxostoma redivivum
   Western Bluebird                      Sialia mexicana
   Blue-gray Gnatcatcher                 Polioptila caerulea
   Bushtit                               Psaltriparus minimus
   American Crow                         Corvus brachyrhynchos
   Common Raven                          Corvus corax
   European Starling                     Sturnus vulgaris
   House Sparrow                         Passer domesticus
   House Finch                           Carpodacus mexicanus
   Lesser Goldfinch                      Carduelis psaltria
   Orange-crowned Warbler                Vermivora celata
   Yellow-rumped Warbler                 Dendroica coronata
   Palm Warbler                          Dendroica palmarum
   Common Yellowthroat                   Geothlypis trichas
   Spotted Towhee                        Pipilo maculatus
   California Towhee                     Pipilo crissalis
   Song Sparrow                          Melospiza melodia
   White-crowned Sparrow                 Zonotrichia leucophrys
   Western Meadowlark                    Sturnella neglecta
   Brewer's Blackbird                    Euphagus cyanocephalus
   Brown-headed Cowbird                  Molothrus ater

45 SPECIES



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

> Hi ,

I'm forwarding this message from Mitch Heindel about the nice trip
today.
Kevin Larson

>
>
>  - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
> Hi all,
>
> Today was LAAS's annual winter 8 hr. quickie pelagic trip
> around the Palos Verdes Peninusla.  This Feb. trip is sort
> of hit or miss, as not going far offshore always is...
> The idea is to check the 3 main offshore topographical
> features... San Pedro Sea Valley, Redondo Canyon, and
> the San Pedro Escarpment, which parallels the P.V.Peninsula.
>
> We left San Pedro and the LA Harbor and headed south
> towards the 'horseshoe', or mouth of the San Pedro Sea Valley.
> Most unusual was Common Dolphin INSIDE the harbor & breakwater.
> Then we headed north toward Redondo Canyon, at about 7-8
> miles offshore.  At Redondo Canyon we went a little out to
> sea, and then shoot the canyon toward shore.  Often this is
> a great 'alcid alley'.  We then turn south and follow the
> Escarpment back to the harbor, around the P.V. Peninsula.
>
> The highlight of the day occurred when Todd McGrath found,
> spotted, and called a MANX Shearwater.  I needn't explain
> his and our grief when it flew off unseen by anyone else.
> We gave chase to the flock of Black-vented Shearwaters it
> was with (over Redondo Canyon).  The birding gods were on
> our side as we refound the bird sitting on the water.
> Again it flushed, with dis-satisfying views.  Again we
> chased and refound the bird sitting on the water.  This time
> virtually everyone on board got to see it at "point-blank".
> Everyone with a camera got pictures, videos, etc..  We spent
> about 20 minutes seeing, flushing, refinding, re-seeing, re-
> photographing it, at times the closest bird to the boat,
> sitting in the water as marks were described over the P.A.
> Is this the first photographed SOCAL Manx?  I think so....
> For score keepers it was about 12:20-45 p.m.,
> at: 33 47.30' X 118 29.09'
>
> Excellent prolonged views of 2 large Fin Whales were
> probably the other 'next best' highlight. In general,
> numbers of things were down, with Kittiwake outnumbering
> Bonaparte's Gull, and only Rhinos for alcids.  Black-vent
> numbers a small fraction of what is usually present as well.
> Two different partial albino Cape Petrel Black-vents were
> seen, one of which I was not the only one on board to
> think it was a bird we've seen before here, in years past.
>
> It was a great group of people, who seemed to have
> almost as much fun as me, or they were kiddin' :):):)
> As always on a pelagic trip, 10 people keeping numbers
> have ten different results, but anyway, here are mine...
>
> Red-thrtd Loon - 2; Pacific Loon - 6; Common Loon - 2;
> Eared Grebe - 5; Western Grebe - xx; Clark's Grebe - 2;
> Pink-footed Shearwater - 2 +?; Sooty Shearwater - 1;
> MANX Shearwater - 1; Black-vented Shearwater - 750;
> Brown Pelican - xxx; Brandt's Cormorant - 295; Double-
> crested Corm - 11; Black Brant - 7 +; Surf Scoter - xx
> Breakwater rockpipers: Black-bellied (Silver) Plover - 1;
> Black Oystercatcher - 4; Willet - 5; Wandering Tattler - 2;
> Whimbrel - 1; Ruddy T-stone - 2; Black T-stone - 6;
> Surfbird - 3; back out at sea...Red Phalarope - 3;
> Pomarine Jaeger - 11+ several dark morph; Parasitic
> Jaeger - 4-5 all within one mile of harbor entrance,
> and 3 ON water at once INSIDE harbor; Bonaparte's Gull - 3;
> Heermann's Gull - 12; Mew Gull - 2+; Calif.Gull - xx;
> Herring Gull - 4+; Western Gull xxxx; Glaucous-winged
> Gull - 3-4; Black-legged Kittiwake - 24+; Caspian Tern - 1;
> Royal Tern - 1; Forster's Tern - xx; Rhinoceros Auklet - 10+;
> Brown Pelican - xxx;
>
> Mammals seen included a couple small pods of Common Dolphin,
> about half-a-dozen each offshore Bottlenose Dolphin, and
> Risso's Dolphin, the two Fin Whales, and CA Sea Lion....
> No Gray Whales were seen, as can happen in Feb.
> One large Mola (Ocean Sunfish) gave us very good views.
>
> Thanks to all the help from the co-leaders and chummers,
> Kevin Larson, Carol Selvey, Millie Newton, and Bernardo
> Alps.  Special thanks to Todd McGrath for "making
> everyone's day" !!!!
>
> It was a great trip, a great group of people,
> and a great day!
>
> happy tubenoses
> Mitch
> (no letters behind my name, but I've been
> called everything)
> http://www.angelfire.com/ca5/pelagics
> Mitch Heindel
> birdfish@...

Today (Sunday) at 1:30 p.m. I saw the Lewis's Woodpecker previously reported a
few days ago on the Bird Box.  The location is Sierra Madre Ct. and Holdman
Ave., one block south of Sierra Madre Blvd. in Sierra Madre.  (You can reach
Sierra Madre Blvd. from either Santa Anita or Baldwin Aves. off the 210
freeway--going north.)

There are a number of telephone poles in the area.  The bird was on a pole just
west of the intersection and just north of Sierra Madre Ct.

Regards,
Ed

Ed Stonick
Pasadena, CA
stonicks@...


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Hi all,

I was on the LAAS winter pelagic yesterday and got a few shots of the
Manx Shearwater. They're part of my photo trip report at
http://www.birdingamerica.com/California/winterpelagic.htm .

Mary Scott
Long Beach, CA
www.birdingamerica.com

On Sun, 24 Feb 2002 23:27:04 -0000, "maryscottz"
<maryscott@...> wrote:

>I was on the LAAS winter pelagic yesterday and got a few shots of the
>Manx Shearwater. They're part of my photo trip report at
>http://www.birdingamerica.com/California/winterpelagic.htm .

I was interested to read on Mary's web site that Manx Shearwaters have
been found breeding on Vancouver Island, British Columbia.  If
possible, I would very much like to learn more details of that
breeding colony.

Thanks in advance.

--
Joseph Morlan, Pacifica, CA 94044: mailto:jmorlan@...
Birding classes start Feb.5 in SF: http://fog.ccsf.org/~jmorlan/
California Bird Records Committee: http://www.wfo-cbrc.org/cbrc/

Sat 23rd Feb

I tried for the YELLOW-BILLED LOON on Sat 23rd. Saw the Banana-Billed
Loon between around 9-30 and 10-00 appear from the Marina S of London
Bridge on the island side of the channel, and then swim up channel
towards the bridge giving excellent close views. [N.B. Note the post
from Mark Stevenson to say that on Sun it was reported from a
different spot, SITE 6, at the west end of
the island (closer to CA)]. Also a few COMMON LOONS, distant EARED
GREBES, and a female WOOD DUCK (among the pontoons below the bridge
on the "mainland" side).

Further N of the bridge, along London Bridge Road, at the second
Mesquite Bay fishing area, I scanned the lake from the end of the
fishing pier (at the end of teh nature trail). Another COMMON LOON
and 2 HORNED GREBES.

At Bill Williams NWR, from the pull out by the bridge, had both
CLARK'S and WESTERN GREBES.

At the base of Parker Dam, maybe 1pm, had lots of COMMON GOLDENEYE
and BUFFLEHEAD, a male and female BARROW'S GOLDENEYE (on the CA side)
and the female LONG-TAILED DUCK (also in CA) . Also NORTHERN
ROUGH-WINGED and VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOWS. Further south on the CA side,
nearthe bridge at Parker, had more ROUGH-WINGS AND one BARN SWALLOW.
Next tried some desert washes round Vidal but didn't see a great
deal, beyond a BLACK-THROATED SPARROW, BLACK-TAILED GNATCATCHERS and
PHAIONEPLAS, not too surprisingly given the temperature and time of
day. In the fields N of Blythe (CA) had a FERRUGINOUS HAWK and lots
of BLACKBIRDS incl. YELLOW-HEADED. Mayflower Park near Blythe
produced COMMON MERGANSER, VERMILLION FLYCATCHERS, various sparrows,
a few MYRTLE WARBLERS with the AUDUBON'S, HORNED LARKS, a male MERLIN.

Stayed O/N in Blythe, not fancying the drive back to Tucson.

Sun 24th Feb

Had a look round the fields and riverside on the CA side S of Blythe.
Lots of CATTLE EGRETS, a group of 5 or so COMMON GROUND DOVES, a
FERRUGINOUS HAWK, SPOTTED SANDPIPER, LEAST SANDPIPER, COMMON
GOLDENYES and COMMON MERGANSERS in the river, ABERT'S TOWHEE, GILA
and LADDER-BACKED WODDPECKERS, BLACK-TAILED GNATCATCHERS in teh scrub.

Crossed the river into AZ and visited the Cibola NWR. There were no
Geese on the Goose auto tour (I was told later in the refuge center
that they'd been thousands until a week or so ago, but most now
seemed to have gone). However, there were small numbers of SANDHILL
CRANES and a female MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD. Took the trail leading from
the auto tour to an oevrlook area, but this was closed; looks like
they're building a new viewing platform / blind. Anyway, was able to
see from the path that there were some ducks, mainly PINTAIL, and a
few CANADA (a couple of which looked like "LESSER'S") and SNOW
GEEESE. In flight there were plenty of CRANES, more SNOW GEESE, with
one ROSS'S, SNIPE, and  DOWITCHERS. Landbirds incl a SAGE THRAHERS
and VERMILLION FLYCATCHERS. Also lots of TREE and NORTHERN
ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOWS.

  From the south end of the refuge, at the Cibola Lake overlook, had
several WHITE PELICANS, an adult BALD EAGLE (also an imm. along the
levee road to the north), WESTERN GREBES. In the river nearby were a
couple of COMMON GOLDENEYES. Not much on Farm Area 3, although the
new marsh area had some dabbling ducks, particularly GREEN-WINGED and
CINAMMON TEAL, and shorebirds incl GREATER YELLOWLEGS.

Back on the CA side, there were a few SNOW GEESE on the oxbow lake at
Palo Verde Co. Park and near Blythe I saw a remarkable semi-albino
TURKEY VULTURE - it had a white back, white head and breast, and
plenty of white under the wings. It reminded me of an Egyptian
Vulture for an instant!

Then it was time to head back to Tucson, with a brief stop around
Scottsdale, where had OSPREY and HOODED MERGANSER (Pavillions
shopping center), and BURROWING OWL (Community College).

Cheers and thanks to all those people who've posted the necessary
info to keep track of the Loon and various others of these birds.
Steve


Dr Stephen Barlow
Department of Chemistry
University of Arizona
1306 E. University Blvd., Box 210041
Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
Phone: 520 626 1317
Fax: 520 621 8407
email: sbarlow@...

Hi, all!

Today did a route starting at Chollas Lake in southeast San Diego, then
headed down to J Street Marina (aka Chula Vista Harbor), then further down to
the Tijuana River Valley.  Chollas was stuffed with Coots, Ring-billed Gulls
and Double-crested Cormorants, one which had his fuzzy white "eyebrows"!
Just had the usual eucalyptus-related stuff, including a couple of
Selasphorus hummers WAY up in the top of one flowering euc.  Interestingly
had the only Snowy Egret of the day here as well.

Hit the jackpot at J Street Marina, with large numbers of several species:
Surf Scoters, Western Grebes, Brant, and Lesser Scaup were out in the bay,
with lesser numbers of Bufflehead, Brown Pelicans, and Eared Grebes.  Was
drooling over two very close Brant in perfect light and bemoaning the fact
that I left my camera in the car when Tony Merceica walked up with his
monster rig; turns out there were lots more Brant back by the "corner" which
he was shooting!  He, of course, was looking for the two female Black
Scoters, but neither of us had seen them yet, so after a little chatter we
went our own ways.

I went down by the "corner", carefully stepping around all the gulls,
pigeons, and blackbirds, and started scanning; picked out a couple of Greater
Scaup among the Lessers, which was nice, but what should suddenly grace my
view but both the female Black Scoters!  Unfortunately Tony was nowhere to be
seen, so that kinda took the fun out of the sighting.  I headed down towards
the little creek, adding Heermann's and Glaucous-winged Gull, and against the
light added several ducks and shorebirds to the list.  A Belted Kingfisher
had a post staked out across the way, and a nice addition was a Horned Lark
actually singing in the barren lot across the street!  Heading back to the
car I was thrilled to see Tony heading back to the "corner", and when I
finally caught up with him I again found the Blacks so he was able to get a
look through the scope (unfortunately not close enough for pics, even with
that goliath lens).  So I felt better after that!

Headed on down to Dairy Mart Ponds, where I discovered you could no longer
park in the big lot, so I parked along the road and peeked in at several
locations: lots of Shovelers, plus both stilts and avocets, and a few
Green-winged Teal.  Several Marsh Wrens sang, and picked up Hutton's Vireo
and Orange-crowned Warblers in the riparian area, as well as expected
Yellowthroats and Song Sparrows.  Heard Great-tailed Grackles across the way,
too, and waved hello to all the Border Patrol vehicles rumbling past...(at
least I felt safe!)

Does anybody know the status of Border Field State Park???  There's an
impassible dirt mound at the entrance now, so I'd say it's closed for
awhile...  Went up Hollister and decided to investigate Tijuana River Valley
Regional Park (aka "Guy's Place") a little more thoroughly, and found a horse
trail closer to the river that I hadn't seen before, where tons of Red-winged
Blackbirds were hanging out and a couple of Spotted Towhees were singing.
This emptied out into the staging area, which I never knew was there, either:
a HUGE parking area with at least two trails meandering out through the
reeds!  I walked back to the ranger station, picking up a couple of
Rough-winged Swallows on the way, and meant to drive back and check out one
of the trails, but curiosity got the better of me and I wanted to see where
the road went, and lo and behold I ended up on Saturn!  (Okay, guys, don't
roll your eyes at me--I don't wander around down there much!)  But I DID
stumble onto Sunset Road and decided to try that trailhead at the west end; I
remember feeling just a little spooky there before, but I wanted to give it
another shot.

Was glad I did: it's right next to a big boarding stables, so I doubted that
unscrupulous characters would be hanging around there.  Plus, it's an
absolutely gorgeous willow riparian area, with more American Goldfinches than
I've ever seen in one spot (aside from back east, of course)!  Song Sparrows
were abundant as well, but also kicked up a few special goodies, such as both
Red-shouldered and Red-tailed Hawks, both Nuttall's and Downy Woodpeckers,
and a Common Ground Dove to boot!  Also interesting were a pair of singing
Wrentits, and Hermit Thrush and California Thrasher were unique for the day.
It's a little noisy cuz you're pretty close to the helo port, but I'd bet
this place is hopping in the spring!  (And I felt perfectly safe this time
around...)

Headed home after that with 71 species.  Bird List:

   Pied-billed Grebe                     Podilymbus podiceps
   Eared Grebe                           Podiceps nigricollis
   Western Grebe                         Aechmophorus occidentalis
   Brown Pelican                         Pelecanus occidentalis
   Double-crested Cormorant              Phalacrocorax auritus
   Great Blue Heron                      Ardea herodias
   Great Egret                           Ardea alba
   Snowy Egret                           Egretta thula
   Brant                                 Branta bernicla
   American Wigeon                       Anas americana
   Green-winged Teal                     Anas crecca
   Mallard                               Anas platyrhynchos
   Northern Pintail                      Anas acuta
   Northern Shoveler                     Anas clypeata
   Greater Scaup                         Aythya marila
   Lesser Scaup                          Aythya affinis
   Black Scoter                          Melanitta nigra
   Surf Scoter                           Melanitta perspicillata
   Bufflehead                            Bucephala albeola
   Ruddy Duck                            Oxyura jamaicensis
   Red-shouldered Hawk                   Buteo lineatus
   Red-tailed Hawk                       Buteo jamaicensis
   American Coot                         Fulica americana
   Black-necked Stilt                    Himantopus mexicanus
   American Avocet                       Recurvirostra americana
   Willet                                Catoptrophorus semipalmatus
   Western Sandpiper                     Calidris mauri
   Heermann's Gull                       Larus heermanni
   Ring-billed Gull                      Larus delawarensis
   California Gull                       Larus californicus
   Glaucous-winged Gull                  Larus glaucescens
   Western Gull                          Larus occidentalis
   Rock Dove                             Columba livia
   Mourning Dove                         Zenaida macroura
   Common Ground-Dove                    Columbina passerina
   Anna's Hummingbird                    Calypte anna
   Selasphorus Hummingbird                   Selasphorus sp.
   Belted Kingfisher                     Ceryle alcyon
   Nuttall's Woodpecker                  Picoides nuttallii
   Downy Woodpecker                      Picoides pubescens
   Black Phoebe                          Sayornis nigricans
   Horned Lark                           Eremophila alpestris
   Northern Rough-winged Swallow         Stelgidopteryx serripennis
   Ruby-crowned Kinglet                  Regulus calendula
   Bewick's Wren                         Thryomanes bewickii
   Marsh Wren                            Cistothorus palustris
   Northern Mockingbird                  Mimus polyglottos
   California Thrasher                   Toxostoma redivivum
   Hermit Thrush                         Catharus guttatus
   Wrentit                               Chamaea fasciata
   Blue-gray Gnatcatcher                 Polioptila caerulea
   Bushtit                               Psaltriparus minimus
   American Crow                         Corvus brachyrhynchos
   Common Raven                          Corvus corax
   European Starling                     Sturnus vulgaris
   House Sparrow                         Passer domesticus
   Hutton's Vireo                        Vireo huttoni
   House Finch                           Carpodacus mexicanus
   Lesser Goldfinch                      Carduelis psaltria
   American Goldfinch                    Carduelis tristis
   Orange-crowned Warbler                Vermivora celata
   Yellow-rumped Warbler                 Dendroica coronata
   Common Yellowthroat                   Geothlypis trichas
   Spotted Towhee                        Pipilo maculatus
   California Towhee                     Pipilo crissalis
   Song Sparrow                          Melospiza melodia
   White-crowned Sparrow                 Zonotrichia leucophrys
   Red-winged Blackbird                  Agelaius phoeniceus
   Brewer's Blackbird                    Euphagus cyanocephalus
   Great-tailed Grackle                  Quiscalus mexicanus
   Brown-headed Cowbird                  Molothrus ater

71 SPECIES

Mary Beth Stowe
San Diego, CA
MiriamEagl@...


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

County Coordinators/Contributors:

The Winter Season (1 December through 28 February) is ended, and we solicit
reports for inclusion in the Southern Pacific Coast Region of NORTH AMERICAN
BIRDS.  Reports should be arranged with species in the taxonomic order followed
by the American Ornithologists Union (Check-List of North American Birds 1998)
and the American Birding Association (ABA Checklist 1996, modified by
Supplements published in BIRDING).  Reports of species included on the
California Bird Records Committee (CBRC) review list (Field List of California
Birds 2000, obtainable through Western Field Ornithologists at 1359 Solana
Drive, Pacifica, CA 94044-4258  www.wfo-cbrc.org) must be accompanied by
documentation (written description, photographs, etc.).  Similar documentation
should also accompany reports of species unusual for the location or season. 
Full names, with all initials, should be used in the reports (this reduces the
potential for different observers having the same initials, and makes it simpler
to acknowledge contributors.

Reports should be sent to the appropriate County Coordinators (listed below) or
directly to Guy McCaskie.  Reports for this season must be received prior to 20
March 2002.  However, due to the fact that I will be away from California 13-30
March, I ask that reports reach me on or before 11 March.

Eugene A. Cardiff (San Bernardino County)
2736 Court Street
Rialto, CA  92376

Elizabeth Copper (San Diego County)
227 "F" Avenue
Coronado, CA  92118
ecopper@...

David Compton (Santa Barbara County)
PO Box 24152
Santa Barbara, CA  93121
davcompton@...

Tom M. Edell (San Luis Obispo County)
46  8th Street
Cayucos, CA  93430
tedell@...

Kimball L. Garrett (Los Angeles County)
Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
900 Exposition Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90007
kgarrett@...

Tom and Jo Heindel (Inyo County)
PO Box 400
Big Pine, CA  93513
tjheindel@...

Guy McCaskie (Imperial County)
954 Grove Avenue
Imperial Beach, CA  91932
guymcc@...

Robert L. McKernan (Riverside County)
San Bernardino County Museum
2024 Orange Tree Lane
Redlands, CA  92374
mckernan@...

Walter Wehtje (Ventura County)
2286 Barbara Drive
Camarillo, CA  93012
wehtje@...

Douglas R. Willick (Orange County)
2730 E. Whidby Lane
Anaheim, CA  92806
d_willick@...

John C. Wilson (Kern County)
1425 Alta Vista Drive
Bakersfield, CA  93305
jcwilson@...

We thank you in advance for your time and effort.

Guy McCaskie
954 Grove Avenue
Imperial Beach, CA  91932
TEL  619-423-7524






[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

This thread is closed. Please direct questions or problems to the
listowners, not the list in general. The listowner email address is at the
bottom of this and every message.

At 03:37 PM 2002-02-25 -0800, Jean D. Brandt wrote:
>Why do I keep getting this message?

Good birding,
Steve <mailto:steve@...>  for general use
        <mailto:mobile@...> for rare birds and emergencies only

Steve Sosensky, photographer                        www.sosensky.com
10834 Blix Street #213                                  818-508-4946
Toluca Lake, CA 91602                      34*09'02" N, 118*22'47" W
Audubon in So. California                www.SoCalAudubon.org/socal/
San Fernando Valley AS       www.SanFernandoValleyAudubon.org/sfvas/
AIM ID: SteveS310                   Yahoo Messenger ID: SteveSosensky
SoCal FRS: use channel 11 code 22

Well, here's a little de ja vu. I got a message from Paul Collins today that
two Natl. Park Service employees had reported an EMPEROR GOOSE at Santa Rosa
Island, 100 yds from the pier (probably northwest) at Becher's Bay, just
east of Carrington Pt. This is the main landing area, in the area of the
ranch house. This is a third-hand report, so it's hard to know what to think
of it. I did see an e-mail from one of the observers. It seemed just
promising enough for me to pass the word along, although I know it would be
hard for anyone to find a way out there. The bird was seen last week some
time (I don't have the exact date), on February 6 (swimming in the
intertidal), and some time in mid-January. Anyone interested in seeing the
e-mails I've gotten before they look into finding a way out there, let me
know. Truth Aquatics in Santa Barbara occasionally goes out there, but I
don't know when they go next. Island Packers, from Ventura, also goes out
occasionally. This would be a first Santa Barbara County record if it pans
out.

Also, updating the SHORT-TAILED ALBATROSS reported on February 19 from Santa
Barbara Island, Paul has seen photos and thinks the ID seems pretty good--a
dark brown albatross with a big pink bill. The photographer was a Japanese
researcher who is close friends with another Japanese scientist who has done
lots of work with this species. The photographer promised to both forward
the photograph to Paul (who saw the photo on the guy's laptop) and ask his
friend for comments on the bird's age.

If only I had my one boat.

Dave Compton
Santa Barbara


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Hello California birders,

My mother and I wanted to forward our Tweeters posting from our local E-mail
digest here in Washington to inform others that the adult male FALCATED DUCK
was relocated yesterday(February the 27th)on Padilla Bay(accessed from the
West 90 ponds parking lot on Samish Island Rd. with added directions below.
We will be looking again today for the bird and will inform others if the
bird is refound or not.

Sincerely,

Ruth and Patrick Sullivan
Tacoma,WA

----- Original Message -----
From: Ruth Sullivan <godwit@...>
To: <tweeters@...>
Sent: Tuesday, February 26, 2002 5:59 PM
Subject: Falcated Duck relocated today


> Hello Tweets,
>
> My mother and I relocated the male FALCATED DUCK from 1pm-1:20pm
immediately
> west of the dike accessed from the West 90 "ponds" parking lot in Padilla
> Bay in Skagit Co. The bird was immediately observed upon hiking onto the
> dike within a small flock of Am.Wigeon approximately 20 yards offshore
> gradually swimming to the north,before flying off after 2 adult Bald
Eagles
> flew high over the dike flushing the duck. The Falcated Duck and the small
> flock of Am.Wigeon flew to the north over Padilla Bay towards the base of
> Samish Island,but the duck could not be relocated upon some searching of
the
> increased Am.Wigeon flocks, with 42+ Eurasian Wigeons, Northern Pintails,
> Am.Green-winged Teal, and 1 adult male Common Teal were noted. All these
> ducks were observed offshore immediately off of the dike, which continues
> north to the Padilla Bay Greenhouse. We are disappointed that such little
> communication was provided on Friday and Saturday upon prior knowledge by
> other observer(s)that may have or did know that the Falcated Duck did fly
> over the dike towards Padilla Bay and was not only seen in the open fields
> off of Samish Island Rd. This information would have increased searching
> along the dike bordering Padilla Bay west and north of the West 90
> "ponds",and not just open,flooded fields and other areas away from the
> associating saltwater areas. It is most likely the Falcated Duck will
> remain.
>
>
> Sincerely,
>
> Ruth and Patrick Sullivan
> GODWIT@...
>
>

Hi, all!

Birded the Tijuana Slough and the end of 7th Street in Imperial Beach this
morning.  Took the trail from the end of 5th Street first, where there were
tons of meadowlarks and Savannah Sparrows duelling away!  The interesting
thing was that those that popped up seemed to be the migratory races, as none
of them were terribly dark or had heavy streaking.  A definite Large-billed
popped up among them, though, and at one point I had five or six all sitting
atop a bush when a meadowlark came crashing in and scattered the whole bunch!
  A Say's Phoebe joined the meadowlarks on the fence, and a guy taking his
tiny dog for a walk encountered a group of semi-tame Mallards, who dwarfed
the poor dog!  Redwings and Yellowthroats were in the freshwater marshy area,
and on the way out to the mouth had a single House Wren scolding.  A
Butterbutt flew out of nowhere, too, which was kinda funny considering the
barren habitat!  Not surprisingly picked up both American Pipit and Horned
Lark in this area as well.  At the mouth, I guess I shouldn't have been too
surprised to see a group of White Pelicans; Browns were across the river
along with lots of Western Gulls, and a big flock of Killdeer drifted in just
before I left.  Most of the birds were too far away to ID with certainty,
besides being in the wrong light.  A Hermit Thrush sitting on top of one of
the bushes on the way back was interesting, and also picked up a pair of
Harriers and a semi-cooperative Marsh Wren (in that it sat in the open for a
nano-second before diving into the saltgrass).  A pair of Shovelers had
joined the Mallards in the little pond next to the fence, but they weren't as
"tame" so they didn't stick around as long...  The open water areas back at
the trailhead were more active by the time I got back, with lots of American
Wigeon hiding in the vegetation and a few Gadwall a being little more bold.

Tide was way up, so it was nice to actually SEE the Clapper Rails along the
McCoy Trail at the Visitor's Center!  The usual shorebird suspects snoozed in
numbers: Willets, Marbled Godwits, dowitchers, and even avocets.  Two each of
the curlews were hanging around as well, and several Buffleheads bobbed
around in the ponds.  A large group of Lesser Scaup was in the pond to the
south.  Ironically, on THIS trail, only Belding's Savannahs would show
themselves, and they were being quite territorial!  A couple of Tree Swallows
zipped by at the bench, and heading back a group of six Whimbrels fed at the
bridge; I don't recall ever seeing quite that many at one time!

At the end of Seacoast Drive, a Little Blue Heron joined the Snowy Egrets,
and found yet another Clapper Rail pair.  In poor light found the only
Pied-billed Grebes of the day, and as I turned to leave I saw what I thought
was a ranger leaning on the railing, saying, "Did you see those two guys?"
My response of "The Clapper Rails?" threw him off, and then I noticed he was
a Border Patrol guy: evidently there were two Mexicans making their way up
next to the dunes!  He followed me over to the beach where I scanned for
stuff (the waves were way too high for much of anything except a Heermann's
Gull) and said that they like to try and make a run for it when the fog rolls
in like it was doing this morning...

Headed up to the end of 7th Street after that and walked along the bike path,
where there were several globs of birds: one glob of Western Gulls, another
of Californias, another of avocets and assorted smaller shorebirds, and
another of Willets/Godwits, but in the pond south of the trail added Dunlin,
Skimmers, and Western Sandpipers to the day list.  More Belding's Sparrows
were having it out on the concrete paying me absolutely no mind at all.  A
few Forster's Terns batted around, and off in the distance I heard the
distinct gutteral call of a Royal.  Way over on the dike were a few
cormorants in with the gulls, and by one of the little "islands" was a nice
addition: an adult Mew Gull!  A first year Glaucous-winged flew overhead, and
a couple of Clark's Grebes floated out in the open water.  A Greater
Yellowlegs fed alongside an avocet, and I caught a pair of Kestrels
continuing the species.  Sitting on the slab near the road I could pick out
several more Bufflehead, but while I was watching them, in came an elegant
line of eight more White Pelicans!  They finally decided to land on the dike,
scattering most of the cormorants that were previously there.  No Reddish
Egrets this time; I felt a pang of sadness remembering that the last time I
was here was on 9/11.

Called it a day after that with 68 species for the morning.  Bird List:

   Pied-billed Grebe                     Podilymbus podiceps
   Eared Grebe                           Podiceps nigricollis
   Clark's Grebe                         Aechmophorus clarkii
   American White Pelican                Pelecanus erythrorhynchos
   Brown Pelican                         Pelecanus occidentalis
   Double-crested Cormorant              Phalacrocorax auritus
   Great Blue Heron                      Ardea herodias
   Great Egret                           Ardea alba
   Little Blue Heron                     Egretta caerulea
   Snowy Egret                           Egretta thula
   American Wigeon                       Anas americana
   Gadwall                               Anas strepera
   Mallard                               Anas platyrhynchos
   Northern Pintail                      Anas acuta
   Northern Shoveler                     Anas clypeata
   Lesser Scaup                          Aythya affinis
   Bufflehead                            Bucephala albeola
   Ruddy Duck                            Oxyura jamaicensis
   Northern Harrier                      Circus cyaneus
   American Kestrel                      Falco sparverius
   Clapper Rail                          Rallus longirostris
   American Coot                         Fulica americana
   Black-necked Stilt                    Himantopus mexicanus
   American Avocet                       Recurvirostra americana
   Killdeer                              Charadrius vociferus
   Short-billed Dowitcher                Limnodromus griseus
   Marbled Godwit                        Limosa fedoa
   Whimbrel                              Numenius phaeopus
   Long-billed Curlew                    Numenius americanus
   Greater Yellowlegs                    Tringa melanoleuca
   Willet                                Catoptrophorus semipalmatus
   Western Sandpiper                     Calidris mauri
   Dunlin                                Calidris alpina
   Heermann's Gull                       Larus heermanni
   Mew Gull                              Larus canus
   Ring-billed Gull                      Larus delawarensis
   California Gull                       Larus californicus
   Glaucous-winged Gull                  Larus glaucescens
   Western Gull                          Larus occidentalis
   Royal Tern                            Sterna maxima
   Forster's Tern                        Sterna forsteri
   Black Skimmer                         Rynchops niger
   Rock Dove                             Columba livia
   Mourning Dove                         Zenaida macroura
   Anna's Hummingbird                    Calypte anna
   Nuttall's Woodpecker                  Picoides nuttallii
   Black Phoebe                          Sayornis nigricans
   Say's Phoebe                          Sayornis saya
   Horned Lark                           Eremophila alpestris
   Tree Swallow                          Tachycineta bicolor
   American Pipit                        Anthus rubescens
   House Wren                            Troglodytes aedon
   Marsh Wren                            Cistothorus palustris
   Northern Mockingbird                  Mimus polyglottos
   Hermit Thrush                         Catharus guttatus
   Bushtit                               Psaltriparus minimus
   American Crow                         Corvus brachyrhynchos
   Common Raven                          Corvus corax
   European Starling                     Sturnus vulgaris
   House Sparrow                         Passer domesticus
   House Finch                           Carpodacus mexicanus
   Yellow-rumped Warbler                 Dendroica coronata
   Common Yellowthroat                   Geothlypis trichas
   Savannah Sparrow                      Passerculus sandwichensis
   Song Sparrow                          Melospiza melodia
   White-crowned Sparrow                 Zonotrichia leucophrys
   Red-winged Blackbird                  Agelaius phoeniceus
   Western Meadowlark                    Sturnella neglecta

68 SPECIES

Mary Beth Stowe
San Diego, CA
MiriamEagl@...


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